Sheffield Wednesday star set for late test ahead of Sunderland fixture

Sheffield Wednesday are set to leave it until the last minute to see if Glenn Loovens will be available for their match with Sunderland at Hillsborough on Wednesday night.

The Owls are prepared to wait and see if their skipper will pass a late fitness test, after having to come off with an injury against Queens Park Rangers in their last fixture.

â€œGlenn felt very strong kick, very hard in that day and next day very difficult to walk,â€ Carlos Carvalhal told the clubâ€™s official website.

â€œYesterday he was walking better and today is much better, letâ€™s see tomorrow if he ok.â€

The manager admitted that if the visit of Sunderland had come 24 hours earlier his captain would not be able to play, however believed the extra dayâ€™s preparation gives him a fighting chance.

â€œIf the game was today, he could not play, for sure. But tomorrow, we will see if he can recover or not but he is progressing very well,â€ Carvalhal said.

Although Loovens is currently doubtable on whether he will face the Black Cats, Sam Hutchinson has been confirmed to miss out on the encounter.

The versatile defender picked up an injury to the knee, however, his manager has revealed the problem is not as serious as first thought.

â€œSam Hutchinson is not so serious like we expected in that moment, it is something around the muscle of the knee, not exactly on the knee,â€ he added.

â€œIt will take more time but not serious like it looked in that moment.â€

Carvalhal was hopeful the 28-year-old would be able to return back to training quickly, whilst admitting that they would have to remain patient.

Kieran Lee is continuing his road to recover, as he currently deals with a hip injury, although his return is not known at the moment,Â whilst there was no mention about Fernando Forestieri, who was left out of the previous match due to a training ground altercation.

It remains to be seen if the Italian would feature, with Carvahal keen to not give anything away when asked.

The Owls will be looking to get their first win of the season, however, the challenge of Simon Graysonâ€™s Sunderland could prove to be too tough for the team that reached the Championship play-offâ€™s last year.

Freelance writer for a number of publications that lives and breathes the game of football. If there is a match on the box, then you can guarantee that it will be on in the house! Currently based in Spain.

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